This is My Life
by helloagain
Summary: It's been four years since graduation and, while some have made something out of their life, others haven't.
1. Chapter 1

One Tree Hill Season 5

It was four years ago that the high school friends stood on the river court looking down at their names sprayed on the cement. Fast forward to the present and there are those same names, only faded and distant. It seemed like a sign. Sure, standing there that night it felt like it would last forever but like those names, the friendships had grown faded and distant.

Does growing up mean that you move on from your past? Forget about friendships and mistakes made? Growing up means the opposite. It means knowing what you did and how to learn from it. It means being able to remain friends with the people who you would once give your life for. That's what growing up means and that's exactly what the once residents of Tree Hill are trying to do

* * *

"Brooke, these designs are hideous. You can't possibly think those would sell," Carolyn said after tossing the design drawings out of her hand, in disgust.

Carolyn was an old woman with no heart. However, what she lacked in the beating organ in her chest, she made up for in brains. She had helped a struggling Brooke find her footing in the fashion industry and has been with her ever since.

"Those are just some rough ideas, thanks for the encouragement, though," Brooke answered the older lady.

Although, the past four years had been successful business wise, Brooke was more lonely than ever. You could never tell it by looking at her, though, for she always had a big smile firmly planted on her face.

"You'll get encouragement when you actually come up with something decent, not this garbage. Speaking of garbage, your friend, Raquel..."

"Rachel," the young brunette corrected.

"Ah yes. Rachel, has since checked herself into rehab."

Rachel and Brooke had tried to keep in touch as much as possible over the past four years but found it more and more difficult to do so. Brooke had given the other girl jobs but they hadn't seen each other in over a year.

"Maybe I should call her," Brooke thought out loud.

"You will do no such thing. Do you know what would happen to your image if you were known to associate with people like her?"

"Right, my image. That's all that matters," the brunette sighed in defeat.

"That, and the companies image. Now go home and think of new and better designs or we can just forget about a new Spring line," Carolyn ordered as she ushered the girl out of the large office.

Once she reached her apartment and got inside, she looked through her phone until she found Rachel's name. After looking at it for several seconds, she sighed and pushed the end button, taking her back to the main screen.

* * *

"Peyton, there's a show tonight, do you want to check it out with me?" Brad asked the curly haired girl.

The blonde looked up from the mountain of papers on her desk and smiled a sweet smile, "I would love to go with you but I really have to get all this work done by the morning."

"Oh, ok. Well, maybe some other time?" He asked hopeful.

"Definitely."

After the girls answer, Brad smiled and walked off, leaving for the afternoon. Peyton just watched and wished that she had the luxury of doing the same. She didn't, so she continued to sift through the paper work.

Her concentration was broken, though, when her phone started vibrating, indicating that she had a text message.

**Who would have thought such a big city could be so lonely?**

Peyton smiled at the name that showed to be the sender and replied back.

**B. Davis. Long time, no talk. NY not treating you so well?**

Instead of getting another text back, the girl chuckled when she saw that Brooke was calling her. She didn't even get the chance to get out a hello before the girl had started talking.

"It's probably treating me just as good as LA is you."

Peyton laughed but could hear it in the girl's voice that she was, in fact, lonely and sad.

"What are we doing Brooke? I'm all the way on the west coast, swamped with pointless paperwork, trying to cut it in the music business and you're all the way in NY making a killer earning but still just as lonely and depressed as the next person."

"I hear you. My designs are starting to suck and if I don't turn things around quick, I may get fired from my own company."

"How about a vacation? Four years away from home is way too long."

The other end of the line was quiet for a few moments, causing Peyton to think the connection had been lost, when finally the other girl answered, "I'll be there tomorrow."

"Well, ok! So will I. I'm done with this assistant to the assistant crap, I'll be on the next flight out of here."

After they had said their goodbyes, Peyton looked around and smiled. This was her last day of not being appreciated, her last day doing never ending paper work. She was done and as she got up from her desk, she took one last look at the papers sitting there and raked them into the trash-can.

* * *

Rachel walked into the room one of the aids had led her to and set her suitcase down on the bed. These next few weeks were going to be hard. Not just because she was giving up drugs but, also, because she was giving up her phone and iPod. She had no connection to the outside world except for writing letters and a phone call once a week. That's the way it had to be if she was going to beat this thing.

She started unpacking her belongings and once she was done, looked around the room. The other side of the room looked just like hers. There was a twin size bed with ugly flowered bedding, a desk, and a closet. The closet was closed and she had no intention of snooping around it but the desk was another story. She walked over to it and examined some of the pictures she found.

In them was a pretty brunette with different people. In one, Rachel assumed the girl was with her parents on what appeared to be her high school graduation.

"That must be nice," the red head whispered to herself.

"Not so much," the brunette in the picture said from behind her, causing her to jump and turn around.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop," the girl said once she regained composure.

"Oh, no, it's cool. That's why they're out, for people to look at them," she answered as she walked the rest of the way into the room and plopped herself down on the bed. "What're you in for?" she asked nonchalantly as she examined her fingernails.

"Um...I...I have a drug problem," Rachel finally stuttered out, figuring honesty was her best chance at making a new life for herself.

"Like most everyone else in here. Except for me."

Rachel looked at the girl confused. She had thought this was a drug rehabilitation center, what could this girl be here for, if not that?

Her confused look was enough to get the girl to answer, "I cut myself a few days ago. My mom is one of the aids here and thought a little structure and therapy would be best for me. Better than any court ordered program, I'm sure."

The red head didn't know what to say. She was sharing a room with a suicidal girl, and she thought she had problems.

Both the girls were quiet for awhile before the other girl spoke up again, "Anyway, my name is Kris. It's not short for anything, it's just Kris. What's your name?"

"Rachel," was the short reply she gave, all the while, thinking that this was the most upbeat suicidal girl she had ever met but she hadn't met many of those.

"Cool. Well, dinner will be in about an hour and afterwards a list will be posted of who has what activity," and with that said the girl got up from her bed and walked out of the room, leaving Rachel alone once again.

* * *

The next day, Brooke was walking through the airport looking for the gate Peyton would be at. They set it up where they would be arriving around the same time. Brooke hadn't even let Carolyn know that she would be leaving. She figured that since she was the boss, she could do whatever she wanted but she also knew that the older woman wouldn't be very happy.

Peyton, however had told her boss that she would be leaving. It wasn't the most polite conversation but it got the job done and she was now exiting the airplane about to meet her best friend, who she hadn't seen in years.

She walked through the door and saw the brunette sitting in the chairs and walked over to her, "Been here long?"

Brooke turned in her chair and smiled at her friend before standing up and reaching for a hug. It had been a long time since the two girls had seen each other and it felt good just to hold the other. The loneliness that both girls had felt was starting to drift away.

"I have so much to tell you, Peyton," she said as she pulled out of the hug.

"How about we do some catching up over at the Starbucks?" the blonde asked.

The two girls went to grab their luggage and made their way over to the coffee house. After an hour of talking, they had more or less filled the other in on their life away from Tree Hill but Peyton still had some questions to ask.

"I saw some of your magazine ads, do you and Rachel still keep in touch?"

Brooke looked down at her now empty cup and sighed. She had hoped that the topic of the red head wouldn't come up so soon but she was only kidding herself. She knew her friends read the tabloids and heard the rumors floating around.

"Not for awhile. She kinda got caught up in the lifestyle and got lost in it."

Peyton saw that her friend didn't really want to talk about it so decided to let the subject go. Instead, the girls got up and went to find the car that Brooke had waiting for them.

The drive to Tree Hill was a quiet one, the girls feeling awkward around each other but they hoped that everything would go back to normal with the party they were having that night. It was short notice but the girls had managed to get ahold of everyone and told them to be at Tric.

Brooke had already booked a hotel room until she could look for something a little more permanent and this is where the girls were going to get ready for the night. The brunette had her hair slightly curled with a little makeup on and a very little black dress. She had been saving it for a night out on the town in NYC but figured a night with all her old friends would be just as good.

Peyton, however, hadn't been expecting to dress up quite like Brooke and had on a pair of jeans and a low cut shirt. There wasn't anyone she was really trying to impress so she wasn't that upset with her choice in clothing.

The two headed over to the club and walked through the masses of teenagers. One thing Brooke was going to miss about New York was the club scene. They made their way over to the bar and saw Nathan, Haley, Lucas, Mouth, and Skills sitting there sipping on their drinks.

They walked over to the group and got their attention by coughing. Once all their old friends had noticed them, the hugging began. When it came time to hug Lucas, both girls were a little hesitant but got over it quickly. They had missed the boy and it was good to see them all again, regardless of their history.

They all sat at the bar yelling over the music, telling each other what they had been up to since graduation. Nathan and Haley were back in Tree Hill so Haley could teach and their son, Jaime, could have a better home life. Nathan had decided against entering the NBA draft and was playing for a small semi-pro team an hour away from Tree Hill. He decided that his family was more important to him than basketball ever would be and he would still be getting paid for what he loved doing, all the while, getting to stay home the majority of the time.

Lucas was a struggling writer, trying to get his book published but not having much luck. He was still heavily involved in basketball and was hoping to get the open job at Tree Hill High.

Mouth had just graduated form UNC with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a newly acquired job of reporting on Tarheel sports.

Skills was the only one of the group who hadn't really done anything with himself. He hadn't stayed in college and he had given up on basketball a long time ago. He had a job at one of the music stores in town but that wasn't bringing him a whole lot of cash. Him, Lucas, and Mouth all shared an apartment since none of them were really making that much money.

It was clear that Brooke was the most successful out of her friends. Growing up hadn't been easy on a lot of them and she would always be grateful for the life she had and the people that helped her get there. Most of those people were sitting here, reliving past memories, but there was one missing.

* * *

Rachel lay in bed on her second night at the rehab center. She had gone through intense counseling today, trying to get to the root of her problems. She knew what the root was, she wasn't mature enough to handle the lifestyle of being a high profile model in New York City. None of her therapists or nurses would agree, though. They all thought the problem had existed before.

Sure, maybe it had. Having absentee parents, low self esteem, and very few friends tend to cause a lot of problems but none of the people here were aware of that, yet.

She rolled over to her side and looked at her roommate, Kris, sleeping. They had talked some more and started to form a friendship. It was too early to tell if it would last but, so far, Rachel really enjoyed her company. She thought that if they continued to get closer, she might tell the girl about her past but that wouldn't be any time soon.

They both had three weeks in this place and it would take most of that for the red head to open up. She figured the same about Kris, since she really didn't know that much about the girl. She knew that she was younger, 20, and that she hated her parents, something that they had in common. Other than that, though, the girl was a mystery.

She rolled back onto her back and stared up at the ceiling and hoped that the next three weeks would be the fastest three weeks of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Peyton asked her friend as they sat on the hotel room's bed.

"I'm looking for a vacation home. I don't really feel like living from a hotel room, do you?" Brooke asked back, getting a shake of the head as an answer.

The two girls had been up all morning looking through some of the listings but when they couldn't decide on anything they liked, Brooke decided to call a real estate agency to have someone show them around.

The brunette hadn't planned on staying in Tree Hill that long but figured a vacation home couldn't hurt if she ever decided to come back to her hometown.

They met with the realtor and after two busts, he finally struck with a conservative, little two story house. He had said that the residents had just put it on the market the day before and it did need some work. That didn't bother Brooke, though, because she instantly loved it.

It was a few yards away from the beach, had a wrap around porch, and a well kept garden in the front. Of course it would take some work to fix it up but, with how cheap it was and the location it was at, she couldn't pass it up.

Her and the realtor sat inside the living room, filling out the paper work while Peyton walked around and took a closer look at things. There were only two bedrooms but they were pretty decent in size and both had walk in closets, something she didn't think either of them could live without. She knew she would be getting the smaller room and walked into it to examine it.

It had a large window that looked out towards the ocean. The window also had a window seat, which she loved. The walls needed to have the outdated wallpaper removed but she noticed that the carpet was just recently put in. All in all it was a nice room, something she hadn't had off her little salary in LA.

She walked back down stairs and found that the other two were done with the paper work and about to leave.

"The owners will be here later today to move their furnishings. You can start moving yours in tomorrow," the realtor said and led the girls out of the house before turning and locking the door.

The two girls walked to the car and got in. They looked at each other and sighed. Neither one of them had any furniture. That was just another thing they had to do today but they didn't think staying in a hotel for a few extra days would hurt them.

They also knew that they needed help fixing the house up but figured they could rope Lucas, Nathan, Mouth, and Skills into doing it.

* * *

Lucas looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. His hair was fixed and his clothes were sharp. He had on black slacks and a blue dress shirt. Today was his interview for the coaching job at Tree Hill High. He was nervous but still thought he had a decent shot at the job.

He had played for the team for two years and helped lead them to a state championship his senior year. He also had experience with coaching, being Whitey's assistant after they left Tree Hill.

Although, he thought he had a good shot at the job, he didn't know if there were better candidates who were also applying.

He found a parking spot and walked into the main office where he would be having the interview. After walking into the school, he noticed that nothing had really changed. It was the same Tree Hill High he had graduated from four years earlier.

There was one difference, though. There was a new principle. She was a middle aged woman who looked like she could use a vacation.

"Hello, I'm Lucas Scott. I'm here about the..."

"When can you start?" the woman asked him, interrupting what he had to say.

"I got the job, just like that?" he asked, confused.

"I looked over your resume and, the thing is, I'm a winner. I like to win and I like people who feel the same way. Tree Hill High has always been seen as one of the best but, somewhere along the way, we lost that image. Something had to change and that started with firing the head coach."

Lucas listened to what the woman was telling him but was now afraid of what he had gotten himself into. It seemed like a win now or get fired kind of situation.

"If you want the job, it's yours. We're in the middle of the season so I don't expect to be going to the playoffs but I do expect some wins."

He thought about the offer and knew that it would be a challenge, but so was trying to get a book published. He couldn't give up the opportunity to coach a team that had the potential to do great things.

"I can start tomorrow," he answered and stuck out his hand for the principle to shake.

* * *

"Wow. That was gross," Rachel said after she threw her plate away. "They really think this is the kind of food that will keep people off drugs?"

Today had been sloppy joe day and the red head was not a fan of anything sloppy nor anything named joe. Kris looked at her and smiled before she, also, threw away her plate.

"It wasn't that bad. Just think, only 18 more days of this stuff."

Rachel groaned, causing the girl beside her to laugh, and led the way to their room. They had an hour of free time between lunch and the next therapy session, which she needed since the sessions were so intense.

The last one the therapist had tried to get her to open up about her parents, thinking that if past problems were fixed, Rachel wouldn't feel the need to do anything to be accepted. She didn't want to admit it, but she sometimes felt like he was right. She had had cosmetic surgery to fit in with the cool kids, she had started sleeping around because that's what everyone else was doing, and she started using drugs to impress the other models she was friends with.

Drugs were a very big problem for models in New York, almost all of them had used at one point or were still using and Rachel had never been a strong enough person to walk away from it. She just hoped that this program would change all that.

"I got bathroom duty, what'd you get?" Kris asked after falling onto her bed.

"Laundry, I hate doing laundry."

Each night, everyone was assigned a different duty. It was supposed to teach them structure and responsibility, things that most of the people here didn't know about.

"Want to trade?" the younger girl asked as she propped her head on her hand.

"I hate cleaning bathrooms even more."

Kris laughed and sat back up, "You know, this place, it isn't so bad. I mean, it gives me things that I've never had before. Three meals a day, fun things to do, and friends like you."

Rachel didn't know what to say. It seemed like the girl was trying to open up to her but she wasn't sure how to continue the conversation. After a moments hesitation, she finally started to speak, "You've never had friends?"

The brunette looked down for a second and then back up, trying to think of the perfect answer. "I've had friends. I think everyone has but they weren't the right kind."

The older girl smiled, knowing exactly what the girl was talking about, "Me too. Especially in New York. I think I only really consider two people to be real friends."

Her comment seemed like it had hurt the other girl, something that Rachel didn't intend to do but before she could say anything else, Kris changed the subject.

"I think I'm gonna watch some TV in the main room. I'll see you at dinner." The girl left the red head alone in the room. She hadn't meant to hurt her but she had only known the girl a few days, there's no way she could know if they were going to be friends, or not.

* * *

Haley had called in for a sub for the day so that her and Nathan could look for a Daycare for Jamie. He attended Preschool but they both decided that a little extra time with kids his age and still in a learning environment wouldn't hurt him. She usually had to stay late at school and sometimes Nathan had practice that he had to be at.

They didn't want to burden their friends with the responsibility of watching him all the time and, as much as they loved them, they knew that they couldn't provide the same things a Daycare could. Of course, they wouldn't have him there every day of the week, just Tuesday's and Thursday's when Nathan couldn't pick him up.

Money was tight for the Scott family and the one that they both agreed on liking the most cost 550 a month for someone Jamie's age. Hopefully, though, since he would only be there two days of the week, that price would be lowered some.

"Do you think we are making the right choice? You know, putting him in Daycare?" Nathan asked his wife as they both climbed back into their car.

"I think it's the best choice we could make given the circumstances. Our friends have lives and Jamie isn't their responsibility. Plus he can make more friends here," she answered, looking over to Nathan who started the car.

"Yeah, you're right. I just know what they say about Daycare's."

"If Jamie doesn't like it, we'll figure something else out but I think we should at least try it."

Nathan looked over at the girl and smiled, showing that he agreed with her.

* * *

Skills and Mouth sat on their couch battling each other on Guitar Hero. It was another uneventful day for the both of them. There wasn't a game or anything that Mouth had to prepare for and Skills had the day off. They had been playing the game for some time, now, and were getting pretty bored with it.

"Man, this sucks," Skills complained once he lost on another song.

"Don't be mad. You just aren't very good," Mouth laughed and laid his guitar on the cushion next to him.

"No, man, I'm talkin' bout this, our lives. It sucks."

"What do you expect for a 22 year old? Not all of us can be like Brooke."

Skills was about to respond but was cut off by Mouth's phone ringing. The boy got up to answer it and the other watched as his face fell throughout the conversation.

"No, I understand. Thanks for letting me know." The boy pressed the end button and tossed the phone back onto the couch. "I got golf."

"You got what?" Skills asked confused, thinking that, since the boy went to college, he could explain things better.

"They want me to follow the golfers. No football, no basketball, not even swimming, just golf."

The ex basketball player felt bad for his friend. He had been so excited to cover sports for one of the top colleges in the country and now he had been demoted to golf. It wasn't right and he was gonna do his best to cheer his old friend up.

"We're going out tonight. We're gonna find us some girls and we're gonna have a good time."

Mouth looked over at the other man and just nodded his head before collapsing back on the couch.

* * *

"Tell me about Tree Hill," the therapist asked Rachel who was seated across the table from him.

The girl squirmed in her chair before looking down at her hands and answering, "What does Tree Hill have to do with anything?"

"I assume a great deal."

"I was there a year, not a big deal," she answered and threw her hair over her shoulder, trying to show that she wasn't phased by the topic.

"The fact that you are so unwilling to speak on the subject speaks volumes."

She hated this guy, talking all smart and being so right about things. Who did he think he was?

"I got close to some people, did some stupid things but they stuck with me. I got kicked out of school but still got my diploma and I started working for one of those friends a few years back."

"In the fashion industry?" He asked after jotting down some notes in his notebook.

"Yeah, her clothing line. She got me a few jobs."

She was back to looking uncomfortable again because she knew they were about to get into a tough area.

"Do you blame her for your troubles with drugs?"

"No, never. I got caught up in that. She had nothing to do with it."

"But she did play a role in you being fired from jobs."

The girl glared at him. Wasn't the whole point of therapy to work through your problems? Not put them off on someone else.

"Look, Brooke helped me out when she didn't have to and I'm grateful for that. I deserved to be fired and I deserve to be here now. There's no telling the amount of embarrassment I've caused her."

The man looked at her and smiled, closing his notebook, "We've come a long way today, in such a short amount of time. The fact that you don't blame her for your problems is a clear sign that you are going to beat this."

Rachel looked at him as he stood up. That had been too easy. There was no poking and prodding and it had only lasted a few minutes. Maybe if she answered truthfully from now on, things would run much more smoothly.

* * *

The entire gang was collected at Karen's Cafe, even though Karen didn't own it anymore. She had sold it two years ago so that she could spend more time with Lilly.

"So I guess you're all wondering why we asked you here," Brooke said from the head of the table and received a chorus of yeah's in return. "Well, Peyton and I found a house and we need some help fixing it up."

The group of people let out a collective groan but listened to what else the girl had to say. After she had finished explaining what they needed help with, the others decided that it wouldn't hurt if they dedicated a few hours a day helping their friends get situated in the new house. Plus, it would be a way that they could all spend more time together.


End file.
